| An online forum on sexual health education for gay and bisexual men www.lifelube.org |
www.ambiente.us NOVEMBER | NOVIEMBRE 2008
SHAUN & PAUL: Move over Portia & Ellen, the latest gay couple to walk
down the aisle is the two model boyfriends from Oxygen-TV's Janice Dickinson
Modeling Agency.
By Herb Sosa
They have announced that they will be
heading to Bora Bora this November to
marry.
Shaun McCarron and Paul Anderson, the
newest breakout stars of Oxygen
Network’s The Janice Dickinson Show are
not just out gay characters on the popular
reality show, but a real life couple as well.
With college educations, good looks,
charitable and personal goals, these two
young men are quickly becoming the new
face of gay America.
Shaun McCarron & Paul Anderson:
- How has moving to Florida (from
Louisiana & North Dakota) changed your
lives? Did either of you intend to stay
here after college & find love?
HS- Tell me how you both became
involved with Disney and the Janice
Dickinson Show? Did they come looking
for you? Do you still work with either, or
will you?
Shaun- We where at our Friend Manny
Lehman’s house for Christmas/New Years,
they had a party at the house and one of Manny’s Friends was friends with Janice. He brought her to the
party. We knew who she was, Paul had seen the show, but I had not. We were in the back of the house and I
remember walking in the bathroom and finding her smoking a cigarette, I said "Get that out of the house",
she looked at me and said "sorry." Later on she handed Paul her rhinestone encrusted Cell phone and said,
"the phone is ringing- leave your name and number on the answer machine, that is the producer of my show
- I want you on it."
A week went by and we did not hear anything, then he called. He said the show was still in the final stages of
being picked up by oxygen, and that as soon as he knew when they started filming he would call us. We did
not know when he was going to call, but he said when he did we would need to be in LA within the week and
we would be there for about a month. He finally called, and we put our lives on hold and moved in with Manny
Lehman for a month to film the show.
Paul- We are not with JDMA anymore. This Season we were sent contracts from JDMA over night VIA FedEx
to film Season 4, we were told we started filming on the June 11th. Then right before it was time to go we
were told we were not going to be needed, "some things came up". This was after we had signed the
contracts and sent them back in. We never were given any reason on why we were not invited back. Actually,
we were told this season was going to have plus size models as the theme.
HS- How has your new fame affected your daily life? Relationships with friends, family & each other?
Shaun- Nothing in the world could prepare you for how your life changes after something like this. Our lives
went from going 40mph to 120mph over night. We were on an airplane over 60 times in 6 months. It
becomes hard to focus on your friends, but no matter what you have to. For me I always knew that if it was
not for my friends and my family I would not be where I was, and even if I was tired and didn't feel good I knew
I had to pick up the phone and say "hey I am thinking about you".
Paul- The fame thing can be a distraction from your close ones, but if you're able to keep everything in
perspective and take it one step at a time, it all works out. I know that I feel the same as I felt before all of this,
but now I know I have a responsibility and an opportunity to represent a minority in a positive direction.
HS- A lot of young boys idealize you both for your
looks, fame, openness, success, etc. What can you
tell teens today about fame, coming out and
dealing society?
Shaun- It's hard, and it doesn't make up for anything
you might be missing. There are some people on
the show that we have become quite close to.
Tracey, Brian Kehoe, and Danny Nuñez. It has been
really interesting and some times quite upsetting
to see how their lives are affected by a TV show.
For me, personally, I never watched reality TV
shows. I remember watching the Real World in
1999.
I remember wanting to be those people, and then I
said to myself "do not watch this". I am still growing
as a person, and I hope I always will, but I want to
grow through personal experiences, personal
achievements, and personal failures. I don't want
to be influenced by watching other people and
wanting to be them, I want to be me.
Paul: Fame is nothing more than perception, you
will always remain who you are, it's only the
publics’ image of you that will change. Coming out
is never easy, I can tell you first hand. I feel such
awesome pride when I'm able to give somebody
a hug that is going through the struggles of coming out, and
being able to tell them with truth, that it will be OK. I went through this myself just a few months ago, my mom
had known about me just before the Janice show (the show is why I decided it would be time to come out),
but my father did not know. They live in ND so I knew it would take a while for any news to travel up there, yet
eventually he found out. I knew the day would come but I was never really prepared, I thought I was, but I was
not. The last week of May right before our big fashion show production, Tantra, my dad called and left me a
voice mail. The message was horrible, everything bad you can imagine to be said from a father just
discovering his son is gay, was said. I remember dropping the phone, and laying down on the floor, crying.
Hearing those words come out of your own fathers mouth, the same man who played catch with me as a
child, who helped me with my math homework, and now he is disowning me as his son. I did not leave the
house, or my bed for days after that. I eventually picked myself up and forced myself to press forward, we did
the Tantra fashion show and it was a success. Several months went by, Shaun and I flew to numerous cities,
having appearances here and there, yet all the while my heart was empty. Finally enough was enough, I
remember we were in Nashville TN, I was in the hotel lobby after being unable to sleep, Shaun and I had just
finished a gig the night before, I decided then that I needed to go home to ND and face my fears head on. So I
booked my flight home in the hotel lobby that morning, scheduling to leave the next day. I was in the car with
my mom going over details on what was going to happen when we pulled up to the house, what he was
going to say, what I was suppose to say... Since that final voice mail there had been no communication
between us. We finally pulled up into the driveway after 6hrs of driving (yes my house is that far from the
airport) and the moment had arrived. I put the car in park, and stepped out, I heard my dad walking up the
stairs to meet us, each foot step was felt with suspense, he turned the corner and there he was, with a smile
on his face. He approached me and grabbed my shoulder pulling me into him wrapping his arms around
me, and I in return embraced him, and that was it, at that moment it was as if I was filled up, the little tingles
and goose bumps rushed through my body and a total sense of peace was felt. My father and I talked all day
and we both broke down all walls of secrecy and misconception. It was not until I came to my own
understanding of my worth and value that I was able to move on. By placing myself in his shoes, and
acknowledge his perceptions, then I was able to fully accept the circumstances and myself. Acceptance is
giving ourselves and others the ability to just be. We now are in full communication and peace. I feel thankful
for the opportunity that life gave me and would not have chosen to have circumstances any other way.
HS- Who approached who first,
and how did you each know –
“He’s the one”?
Paul- It was a mutual effort, we
did not realize it but we were
both after each other. I was
working at the gym and I would
see Shaun there, I knew there
was something special about
him and so I made it a point to
keep my eyes on him. It’s almost
like it was destiny, because he
would see me out at various
places and think the same, but
I guess you could say it was the
gym where we officially meet,
and we both approached each
other.
HS- How, if at all, was Janice
involved in you two being a
couple? Was she (and the shows
production) supportive, and are
you still in contact/close?
Shaun- She was not involved in
us being a couple. She knew
that we were a couple when we
started filming the show, but she
never really said anything or did
anything to show that she
supported us. We really did not
speak to her much.
Paul- Janice had no
involvement with us being a
couple. We had been seeing
each other for a couple of years
before that show. Janice never
showed any interest in our
relationship; the production team did.
HS- Why did you choose to get married? Who will be sharing your special day with you?
Paul- We love each other and we want to celebrate our relationship with close friends and family.
HS- How has your faith played into this decision?
Paul- Faith plays a big role in all of our decisions.
HS- How have your families dealt with your relationship and with the fame that has come along?
Paul- Well as you read from above it’s been a long time coming, but I can say now there is full acceptance
and respect of our relationship. The fame thing they don't get, I'm just their kid and always will be- everything
else is just stuff.
HS- Will modeling or TV continue to be in either of your futures? How?
Shaun- I am not sure, I don't know what the future holds. I like knowing that my options are open.
Paul- The future is up in the air, I just pray for guidance along the way.
HS- Is Oxygen as gay-friendly as we hear, and how? What can they improve on?
Shaun- I am not sure. The company that produces the show is defiantly gay friendly, they were really great.
Paul- I'm not sure on the "gay friendly" appearance; you have to remind yourself that at the end of the day
these companies are all about the money, not the message.
HS- Florida will be voting on a controversial Marriage Amendment Act in November (Vote NO on #2). You will
both be getting married in Bora Bora. Are you registered to voting early or absentee?
Shaun- Yes I am registered, and OF course I will be voting.
Paul- Yes I'm registered and will be voting. Shaun and I will be hosting a rally at Orlando's pride October 12th
regarding the Amendment Act #2. We will be hand in hand fighting this ridiculous amendment until it is tour
apart.
HS- What does the future hold for you both?
Paul- We have a lot on our plates, with different events almost every month, and all that comes with
"ShaunandPaul", the future is something I can't determine but I have a feeling its something big.
WORD ASSOCIATION
Orlando Shaun- Home Paul- Mouse
Fame Shaun- Just a word Paul- "I want to live forever"
Faith Shaun- Important Paul- "Mom"
Family Shaun- Defiantly always count on Paul- All that really matters
Supermodel Shaun- HAHA! Paul- W.O.R.K
Favorite food Shaun- crawfish Paul- mom's cooking
Favorite thing to wear
Shaun- Shorts Paul- nothing
Equality Shaun- Soon Paul- Happiness
Favorite Theme Park
Shaun- Seaworld Paul- Seaworld
Favorite Ride Shaun- Hulk Paul- Dueling Dragons
When I dream, I dream of...
Shaun- Everything being perfect Paul- simple
We want to be remembered (how)
Shaun- A great friend Paul- A positive force
Special thanks to Benjamin Nelson
& PROJECT PUBLICITY, INC.
Copyright © AMBIENTE MAGAZINE.
Do not reproduce without citing this source.
SHAUN & PAUL: Move over Portia & Ellen, the latest gay couple to walk
down the aisle is the two model boyfriends from Oxygen-TV's Janice Dickinson
Modeling Agency.
By Herb Sosa
They have announced that they will be
heading to Bora Bora this November to
marry.
Shaun McCarron and Paul Anderson, the
newest breakout stars of Oxygen
Network’s The Janice Dickinson Show are
not just out gay characters on the popular
reality show, but a real life couple as well.
With college educations, good looks,
charitable and personal goals, these two
young men are quickly becoming the new
face of gay America.
Shaun McCarron & Paul Anderson:
- How has moving to Florida (from
Louisiana & North Dakota) changed your
lives? Did either of you intend to stay
here after college & find love?
HS- Tell me how you both became
involved with Disney and the Janice
Dickinson Show? Did they come looking
for you? Do you still work with either, or
will you?
Shaun- We where at our Friend Manny
Lehman’s house for Christmas/New Years,
they had a party at the house and one of Manny’s Friends was friends with Janice. He brought her to the
party. We knew who she was, Paul had seen the show, but I had not. We were in the back of the house and I
remember walking in the bathroom and finding her smoking a cigarette, I said "Get that out of the house",
she looked at me and said "sorry." Later on she handed Paul her rhinestone encrusted Cell phone and said,
"the phone is ringing- leave your name and number on the answer machine, that is the producer of my show
- I want you on it."
A week went by and we did not hear anything, then he called. He said the show was still in the final stages of
being picked up by oxygen, and that as soon as he knew when they started filming he would call us. We did
not know when he was going to call, but he said when he did we would need to be in LA within the week and
we would be there for about a month. He finally called, and we put our lives on hold and moved in with Manny
Lehman for a month to film the show.
Paul- We are not with JDMA anymore. This Season we were sent contracts from JDMA over night VIA FedEx
to film Season 4, we were told we started filming on the June 11th. Then right before it was time to go we
were told we were not going to be needed, "some things came up". This was after we had signed the
contracts and sent them back in. We never were given any reason on why we were not invited back. Actually,
we were told this season was going to have plus size models as the theme.
HS- How has your new fame affected your daily life? Relationships with friends, family & each other?
Shaun- Nothing in the world could prepare you for how your life changes after something like this. Our lives
went from going 40mph to 120mph over night. We were on an airplane over 60 times in 6 months. It
becomes hard to focus on your friends, but no matter what you have to. For me I always knew that if it was
not for my friends and my family I would not be where I was, and even if I was tired and didn't feel good I knew
I had to pick up the phone and say "hey I am thinking about you".
Paul- The fame thing can be a distraction from your close ones, but if you're able to keep everything in
perspective and take it one step at a time, it all works out. I know that I feel the same as I felt before all of this,
but now I know I have a responsibility and an opportunity to represent a minority in a positive direction.
HS- A lot of young boys idealize you both for your
looks, fame, openness, success, etc. What can you
tell teens today about fame, coming out and
dealing society?
Shaun- It's hard, and it doesn't make up for anything
you might be missing. There are some people on
the show that we have become quite close to.
Tracey, Brian Kehoe, and Danny Nuñez. It has been
really interesting and some times quite upsetting
to see how their lives are affected by a TV show.
For me, personally, I never watched reality TV
shows. I remember watching the Real World in
1999.
I remember wanting to be those people, and then I
said to myself "do not watch this". I am still growing
as a person, and I hope I always will, but I want to
grow through personal experiences, personal
achievements, and personal failures. I don't want
to be influenced by watching other people and
wanting to be them, I want to be me.
Paul: Fame is nothing more than perception, you
will always remain who you are, it's only the
publics’ image of you that will change. Coming out
is never easy, I can tell you first hand. I feel such
awesome pride when I'm able to give somebody
a hug that is going through the struggles of coming out, and
being able to tell them with truth, that it will be OK. I went through this myself just a few months ago, my mom
had known about me just before the Janice show (the show is why I decided it would be time to come out),
but my father did not know. They live in ND so I knew it would take a while for any news to travel up there, yet
eventually he found out. I knew the day would come but I was never really prepared, I thought I was, but I was
not. The last week of May right before our big fashion show production, Tantra, my dad called and left me a
voice mail. The message was horrible, everything bad you can imagine to be said from a father just
discovering his son is gay, was said. I remember dropping the phone, and laying down on the floor, crying.
Hearing those words come out of your own fathers mouth, the same man who played catch with me as a
child, who helped me with my math homework, and now he is disowning me as his son. I did not leave the
house, or my bed for days after that. I eventually picked myself up and forced myself to press forward, we did
the Tantra fashion show and it was a success. Several months went by, Shaun and I flew to numerous cities,
having appearances here and there, yet all the while my heart was empty. Finally enough was enough, I
remember we were in Nashville TN, I was in the hotel lobby after being unable to sleep, Shaun and I had just
finished a gig the night before, I decided then that I needed to go home to ND and face my fears head on. So I
booked my flight home in the hotel lobby that morning, scheduling to leave the next day. I was in the car with
my mom going over details on what was going to happen when we pulled up to the house, what he was
going to say, what I was suppose to say... Since that final voice mail there had been no communication
between us. We finally pulled up into the driveway after 6hrs of driving (yes my house is that far from the
airport) and the moment had arrived. I put the car in park, and stepped out, I heard my dad walking up the
stairs to meet us, each foot step was felt with suspense, he turned the corner and there he was, with a smile
on his face. He approached me and grabbed my shoulder pulling me into him wrapping his arms around
me, and I in return embraced him, and that was it, at that moment it was as if I was filled up, the little tingles
and goose bumps rushed through my body and a total sense of peace was felt. My father and I talked all day
and we both broke down all walls of secrecy and misconception. It was not until I came to my own
understanding of my worth and value that I was able to move on. By placing myself in his shoes, and
acknowledge his perceptions, then I was able to fully accept the circumstances and myself. Acceptance is
giving ourselves and others the ability to just be. We now are in full communication and peace. I feel thankful
for the opportunity that life gave me and would not have chosen to have circumstances any other way.
HS- Who approached who first,
and how did you each know –
“He’s the one”?
Paul- It was a mutual effort, we
did not realize it but we were
both after each other. I was
working at the gym and I would
see Shaun there, I knew there
was something special about
him and so I made it a point to
keep my eyes on him. It’s almost
like it was destiny, because he
would see me out at various
places and think the same, but
I guess you could say it was the
gym where we officially meet,
and we both approached each
other.
HS- How, if at all, was Janice
involved in you two being a
couple? Was she (and the shows
production) supportive, and are
you still in contact/close?
Shaun- She was not involved in
us being a couple. She knew
that we were a couple when we
started filming the show, but she
never really said anything or did
anything to show that she
supported us. We really did not
speak to her much.
Paul- Janice had no
involvement with us being a
couple. We had been seeing
each other for a couple of years
before that show. Janice never
showed any interest in our
relationship; the production team did.
HS- Why did you choose to get married? Who will be sharing your special day with you?
Paul- We love each other and we want to celebrate our relationship with close friends and family.
HS- How has your faith played into this decision?
Paul- Faith plays a big role in all of our decisions.
HS- How have your families dealt with your relationship and with the fame that has come along?
Paul- Well as you read from above it’s been a long time coming, but I can say now there is full acceptance
and respect of our relationship. The fame thing they don't get, I'm just their kid and always will be- everything
else is just stuff.
HS- Will modeling or TV continue to be in either of your futures? How?
Shaun- I am not sure, I don't know what the future holds. I like knowing that my options are open.
Paul- The future is up in the air, I just pray for guidance along the way.
HS- Is Oxygen as gay-friendly as we hear, and how? What can they improve on?
Shaun- I am not sure. The company that produces the show is defiantly gay friendly, they were really great.
Paul- I'm not sure on the "gay friendly" appearance; you have to remind yourself that at the end of the day
these companies are all about the money, not the message.
HS- Florida will be voting on a controversial Marriage Amendment Act in November (Vote NO on #2). You will
both be getting married in Bora Bora. Are you registered to voting early or absentee?
Shaun- Yes I am registered, and OF course I will be voting.
Paul- Yes I'm registered and will be voting. Shaun and I will be hosting a rally at Orlando's pride October 12th
regarding the Amendment Act #2. We will be hand in hand fighting this ridiculous amendment until it is tour
apart.
HS- What does the future hold for you both?
Paul- We have a lot on our plates, with different events almost every month, and all that comes with
"ShaunandPaul", the future is something I can't determine but I have a feeling its something big.
WORD ASSOCIATION
Orlando Shaun- Home Paul- Mouse
Fame Shaun- Just a word Paul- "I want to live forever"
Faith Shaun- Important Paul- "Mom"
Family Shaun- Defiantly always count on Paul- All that really matters
Supermodel Shaun- HAHA! Paul- W.O.R.K
Favorite food Shaun- crawfish Paul- mom's cooking
Favorite thing to wear
Shaun- Shorts Paul- nothing
Equality Shaun- Soon Paul- Happiness
Favorite Theme Park
Shaun- Seaworld Paul- Seaworld
Favorite Ride Shaun- Hulk Paul- Dueling Dragons
When I dream, I dream of...
Shaun- Everything being perfect Paul- simple
We want to be remembered (how)
Shaun- A great friend Paul- A positive force
Special thanks to Benjamin Nelson
& PROJECT PUBLICITY, INC.
Copyright © AMBIENTE MAGAZINE.
Do not reproduce without citing this source.
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